This invention relates to an aerial spray system especially usable on a helicopter for spraying ground level targets. The invention can be used for different purposes, e.g. spraying pesticides or liquid fertilizer solution onto crops, spraying water and/or chemicals onto forest fires, or spraying tear gas solutions onto crowds of rioting individuals.
In order to control riot situations, military forces or law enforcement agencies sometimes use tear gas guns or water cannon vehicles. However the range of such guns and cannons is somewhat limited to a maximum spray distance of about sixty meters. Also, riot control is hampered by inability of the ground vehicles to move readily through the crowds and/or the inability to have a clear overall view of the crowd that is to be contained or dispersed. Often, law enforcement personnel are subjected to unnecessary risk of thrown objects or sniper attack while attempting to gain information on the riot and/or to control the riot.
The present invention relates to an aerial spray system that can be mounted on the undersurface of a helicopter for spraying rioters or unruly gangs with tear gas solutions or other analogous toxic liquids. Preferably the spray system includes an exterior television camera targeted onto the spray nozzle target area, and a television monitor in the helicopter for displaying the picture taken by the camera; the camera-monitor system enables the helicopter pilot or other technician in the helicopter to see the exact ground area being sprayed at any one moment, thereby enabling the crowd or unruly persons of most concern to be pinpointed and quickly covered in an expeditious fashion.
Also, in preferred practice of the invention a colored dye is incorporated into the tear gas solution being sprayed onto the unruly individuals. The colored dye serves as a tracer for the tear gas solution, and also as an identifier of the unruly individuals causing or generating the disturbance.
A major advantage of the aerial spray system is that the helicopter can quickly traverse relatively large geographical areas, so as to enable law enforcement people in the helicopter to direct the toxic spray where it is most needed at any given moment. The helicopter and camera system provides an overhead view that is more informative than views at ground level. The overhead helicopter spray system is further advantageous in that prevailing winds can be largely eliminated as a cause of spray inaccuracies. The downspray of toxic liquid can be redirected on the basis of the tracer dye effect on the unruly crowd, such that the toxic materials can be delivered to the desired target in spite of wind conditions.
The aerial spray system has principal usage as a riot control device. However, the spray system can be used for other purposes, e.g. treatment of forest fires with water or fire extinguishing chemicals, or the overhead application of liquid fertilizers and pesticides to crops and ground vegetation. Further features of the invention will be apparent from the attached drawings and description of a preferred embodiment of the invention.